Monday, June 26, 2017

The Summer issue of Craft Ideas magazine just came out, and I'm so happy to see two of my projects featured inside. The pool bag, above, is crocheted in bright colors of easy-care acrylic yarn. You can use it at the pool or beach to hold sunscreen and other essentials, then toss it in the washing machine. The vintage TV photo frame, below, is sewn from wool-blend felt. I used buttons for the control "knobs" and a vinyl sleeve for the screen,which holds a 3" by 5" photo. Look for the issue on your newsstand for complete instructions for these and many other summery projects.

I'm sorry to say that I also have some sad news to report today. The Summer issue is the final issue of Craft Ideas. Formerly known as Crafts 'n Things, the magazine has been in publication since 1975. In those years, Craft Ideas has been a great source for all sorts of craft projects, from sewing and embroidery to painting and jewelry making. (Click here to read the official message from chief editor Molly Goad.) It was an honor to work with the magazine's editors and see some of my designs published on its pages over the past few years. Thank you, Craft Ideas! You will be missed.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Does anyone else remember the song Animal Crackers in My Soup?
It's very old, but still very sweet. It got stuck in my head somehow a few
months ago and inspired me to make this pillow. It's sewn from blue gingham and
red polka-dot fabrics and appliqued with lion, tiger, and elephant animal
crackers swimming in a bowl of swirly tomato soup.

This project is a bit more
complicated than most of my blog posts, so I'm going to explain it in
step-by-step instructions.

1. Trace the swirly soup pattern onto tissue paper and pin
it to the red soup piece. Backstitch along the swirl lines with Dark Rose
embroidery floss, stitching through the tissue. When the stitching is complete,
gently tear away the tissue paper, using tweezers if necessary. Arrange the animals
on the soup and whipstitch them in place with Hazelnut floss. Embroider the details
shown on the pattern with Hazelnut floss.

3. Pin the red soup to the center of the 11 1/2"
gingham square and sew it in place along outer edge with running stitch and
Dark Rose floss. Pin the soup bowl over the soup and sew around its outer and
inner edges with backstitch and Kelly Green floss.

4. Pin the rickrack strips to the gingham square about
1" from each outer edge, as shown on the diagram below. Sew it in
place with Snow White floss.

5. Sew a short red polka-dot strip to each side edge of the
appliqued gingham square with 1/4" seam allowance. Sew a long polka-dot
strip to the top and bottom edges of the gingham piece. Pin the finished pillow
front to the 14" gingham square and sew the pieces together with 1/4"
seam allowance. Leave an opening for turning. Clip the corner and turn the
pillow right side out. Fill with fiberfill and whipstitch opening closed.

Congratulations--you've finished! I apologize if the Animal
Crackers song is stuck in your head now too.